


The Good Samaritan

by BeautyAndStrength



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Reader, F/M, Female Reader, Pre-Canon, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Reader is a Southern Dame, Set before TFA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 03:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16526765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautyAndStrength/pseuds/BeautyAndStrength
Summary: Steve once again finds himself in an alley, on the receiving end of some ape's fist, until someone unexpected decides to step in and help.





	The Good Samaritan

**Author's Note:**

> Um, there's quite a bit of chattering towards the end. I apologize ahead of time for that.

  


May 8th, 1940  
  
A fist slammed into his stomach, and was soon followed by another fist slamming into his right eye, sending him, arms and legs flailing, to the ground. The blow to the head sent his brain bouncing around in his skull like a basketball. These fists, however, did not belong to same person.  
  
Once his brain stopped bouncing, Steve looked up at the ape, or apes really, who had been wailing on him for the last couple of minutes.   
  
There were two of them; twins, to be exact. Double the stupid, and double the biceps. Both tall, with muscular torsos, black hair and hazel eyes, and fair skin that had been browned slightly by sun exposure. Both appeared to be in their mid-twenties.   
  
Steve didn't know their names. He hadn't even met them before now. Then again, that's usually how it goes with all the big lugs he picks fight with, and who decide to beat the crap out of him.   
  
He was walking back to the apartment when he saw these two apes harassing a couple of young ladies on the sidewalk. Now, his logical side told him to leave and find someone bigger than him to take care of it. However, his proud side was telling him to go intervene, even though he knew it would most likely get him beat up, and that was side of him he usually listened to. So he confronted the two neanderthals the only way he could think of; first with words, then when that failed, through sheer force. That was when the fists started flying and the bruises started forming.   
  
The two girls didn't bother to stay around and watch, especially when the two lugs dragged Steve into a nearby alley to continue the job. It almost made Steve laugh. These guys thought they were so original, wailing on him in an alleyway. This was not the first time he had been beaten in an alley, and it most likely wasn't going to be the last.   
  
"You might as well give up, little man," ape #1 mocked. "You wouldn't even be able to win if it was just one of us. So why don't you just run along home now?"  
  
His words fell on Steve's ear with a deaf ring. Gathering what strength he had, Steve staggered to his feet, just barely keeping himself upright as he raised his fists, breaking into the stance of a boxer ready to fight.  
  
Ape #2 scoffed. "Well, it looks like your brain matches your size, shorty; puny  _and_  pathetic!"  
  
"Good, this should be over real quick," ape #1 commented.  
  
Steve ignored their taunts as he swung his fist at ape #1's head. The ape dodged the blow, however, and grabbed Steve's hand in the process, allowing his brother time to slam his fist into Steve's side. It felt like a shock-wave was rattling his ribs to pieces. Steve doubled over from the pain, only for ape #1 to slam his fist into his jaw. Before Steve really had a chance to process anything, he was on the ground again, his vision vibrating and his brain feeling like it was melting out of his ears.  
  
"You really should have walked away when you had the chance, shrimpy," ape #2 said, causing the other ape to erupt into loud, condescending laughter.   
  
However, that laughter was soon silenced by a loud WHIZ and a CLANG as something made of metal came flying through the air and hit ape #1 on the back of the head, drawing a yelp out of him that was probably higher and louder than he would have liked. That was followed by another CLANG as the object fell to the ground.  
  
"What the...???" ape #1 said, rubbing the bump on the back of his head as he and his brother looked down at the object, only to find that the object that had hit him was a metal trashcan lid. They looked at each other in confusion, then looked down at the end of the alley to see who had thrown it.  
  
Standing at the end of the alley was a young woman.  
  
"Hey, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum," she called. "How about leaving Alice alone, if you call yourselves men."  
  
From where he was, Steve couldn't really see the woman, especially since his vision was still vibrating from the blows he took. He could hear her voice very well though, but he didn't recognize it. All he could recognize was the Southern drawl in her voice.  
  
Ape #1 stared at the woman in disbelief, still rubbing the bump on his head. "Did-did you just...!?"  
  
"Hit you on the back of the head with a trashcan lid?" the woman said, finishing his sentence. "Yes, I most certainly did!" She stepped forward until she was standing right in front of the two apes, who towered over her. "Now, do you mind leaving that kid alone?"  
  
"Get out of here, princess," ape #2 said. "This little shrimp was asking for it."  
  
"First of all, I ain't no princess," the woman replied. "Secondly, what exactly did he do to 'ask for it'?"  
  
"None of your business," ape #2 answered.   
  
"Well, whatever it is he 'asked for' I think you two went well overboard with it," the woman said. "And I'm putting a stop to this right now!"  
  
"Just leave now, toots," ape #1 said. "This is a man's problem."  
  
"Well, in that case I fail to see why you two are here," she replied bitingly.  
  
"Excuse me?" ape #2 said.  
  
"Last I checked, real men don't gang up on someone who is half the size of just one of them," she responded. "Only bullies do that. Bullies and cowards."  
  
The two apes stepped closer to the woman. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked up at them.  
  
"You're pretty, but you're not too bright," ape #1 said.  
  
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you," she retorted. "If you're trying to scare me into leaving, you're wasting some valuable hot air, so if you'll excuse me...." She stepped forward as if to pass them, only for ape #2 to grab her arm, causing her to gasp slightly.  
  
"I told you, it's none of your business," he said.  
  
She looked down at his hand gripping her arm, then looked up at him with a glare. "You manhandle me, and expect me to  _not_ make it my business? You're even stupider than I thought." She pulled her arm out of his grip. "Now, I am taking that kid out of this alley, whether you want me to or not. And if either of you try to stop me, you'll end up bruised and whimpering on the ground."   
  
Both the apes laughed loud and long at that remark, and ape #2 leaned down till he was at eye-level with the woman, as if he was talking to a child. "And who's going to do that? You?" he asked in a tone that was semi playful and wholly disbelieving.   
  
The woman looked him directly in his eyes without blinking. "Obviously."  
  
The apes laughed again. "Aw, that's cute," ape #2 said. "And how are you going to do that, toots?"  
  
The woman smiled slightly; a smile that in no way reached her eyes. "Come closer and I'll tell you how."  
  
The ape looked at his brother with the same cocky and disbelieving expression then looked back at the woman before complying. He leaned forward to hear what she was about to say. The woman leaned forward also until she was right next to the ape's ear.  
  
Suddenly, she grabbed both his shoulders for leverage, then slammed her knee hard into his groin. The ape's eyes almost popped out of his sockets as a high-pitch whine barely escaped his throat. He doubled over from the impact to his Family Jewels. As he did, the woman grabbed the lid off of a nearby trashcan by the handle and swung it down hard on his back, knocking the wind right out of him.   
  
"That's how!" the woman said as the ape fell to the ground. She then turned, trashcan lid still in hand, and looked the other ape, who was staring at her in complete shock, trying to process what just happened. "Well, don't just stand there drooling. Come and get me, pinky!" she challenged.  
  
Ape #1 stared at her slack jawed for a few more moments before raising his fists as if preparing to fight. He hesitated with a conflicted look on his face. "Uh, m-my mother told me never to hit a girl," he stammered out.  
  
"Well, my mama taught me that hitting folks ain't ladylike," the woman responded. "But guess what..." she said, suddenly throwing the lid at him like a Frisbee. He quickly ducked, succeeding in avoiding this lid as it CLANGED against the fence behind him. "...my mama ain't here!" the woman finished.  
  
The ape looked at her, the conflict on his face dissolving into anger. "And neither is mine! So it looks like I'm free to make an exception!"   
  
He lunged forward and swung his right fist at the woman.  
  
She dodged to her left, avoiding his blow.  
  
He tried again and swung his left fist at her.  
  
She dodged to her right, avoiding his blow again.  
  
He then swung both arms at her, as if he was trying to grab her.  
  
She ducked down, avoiding his attempt at grabbing her, and quickly crawled in-between his wide spread legs. Before the ape could do anything, she grabbed his ankles from behind and literally pulled his legs out from under him. He fell forward and landed on his face with a painful THUD. Once again, she did not give him any time to do anything before she repeated what she had done with his brother and kicked him hard in the groin while he was still down. The ape let out a pained yowl, and clutched his crotch. The woman looked down at the ape, who was whining like an injured dog.  
  
"Look at that," she said. "Bruised and whimpering on the ground. Told you so!" The only response the ape gave was another whimper. The woman scoffed. "Eh, you two ain't worth anymore of my time. Besides, you done gone and dirtied up my dress." She promptly wiped the dirt and junk off the front of her dress, then turned her attention to Steve, who was struggling to get himself upright, and stay upright. She immediately ran over to him and helped him stand up. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.  
  
Steve turned and looked at the woman, getting a chance to really get a good look at her. She was a bit young, probably no older than 21. She appeared to be almost an inch taller than him, not that that was hard to do. Her eyes were (E/C), and stood out like crazy against her (S/C) skin. Her (H/C) hair was pulled back into a long braid, with some strands hanging loose in front of her face. She was wearing a simple navy blue button up dress with rolled up sleeves and a belt at the waist. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was pretty enough that she would catch a few eyes.   
  
"I'm all right, thank you," Steve said in response.  
  
Her soft expression was momentarily replaced with surprise. "Oh, you're a.... But I thought....." Steve looked at her confused, waiting for her to continue. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. "Never mind," she said. "Here, let me take a look at you."  
  
"No, really, I'm all right," he said, trying to push her off.  
  
"Please, just let me look."  
  
Despite the fact that her tone was firm, it was still soft, and so was her expression. Plus, Steve couldn't deny that the Southern drawl in her voice was oddly soothing. He soon gave in, and let her turn his face toward her to take a good look at the damage.  
  
"Golly!" she exclaimed. "That's one hell of a shiner you got there. Those gorillas really did a number on you. Come on, there's a diner one block down. They might have some ice that we can put on that eye." Steve decided to not argue and let her help him walk, since his legs felt like they were made of jelly. "By the way," she said, extending her hand. "My name is (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N)."  
  
Steve took her hand and shook it. "Steve Rogers."  
  
"Steve, That's a nice name. I like it," (Y/N) commented with a smile. Steve couldn't help but smile at that. "Now come on," she continued. "Let's go get you patched up."  
  
"What about them?" Steve asked, pointing to the two apes. Ape #2 was still trying to catch his breath from the blow he took, while his brother as still clutching his crotch and whimpering. Quite a pathetic sight.  
  
"Eh, leave 'em," (Y/N) said. "Eventually they'll pick themselves up and limp out of here with their tails between their legs."   
  
"Aren't you worried that they'll report you?" Steve asked.  
  
(Y/N) laughed. "Those two jacked up alpha males just got beaten by a woman who's a little over half the size of one of them. I seriously doubt they're going to be sharing that with anyone anytime soon. Besides, who would believe them? One of the perks of being female; you can get away with a lot of things because half the time folks don't think you're capable of doing 'em." Steve lowered his eyes, sympathizing with her statement. "Now, come on," she said.  
  
Steve once again didn't argue, and let (Y/N) support him as he walked. By the time they got to the diner five minutes later, the wobbliness in his legs had subsided enough for him to walk on his own. They walked through the diner doors and Steve sat down at the table on the far end of the diner as (Y/N) went up to the counter and asked the lady there if she had some ice out back. The lady cast a scolding eye at Steve and shook her head. He waved at her. Steve then turned and look at his reflection in the diner window. (Y/N) wasn't kidding! His right eye was encircled, practically overcome with a large blackish blue bruise. He really didn't realize how bad the black eye really was. In addition to that, he had a split lip that he didn't even notice until now. Fantastic.   
  
***** "Hey, sonny,"  
  
Steve turned at the sound of someone addressing him and saw an elderly man looking at him from over the side of the booth in front of him. He was thin with slicked-back grey hair and wore big round glasses. He had to be at least 90 years old.  
  
"I know it's not my business, but are you OK?" the Old Man asked. His voice had a gravelly tone. "That's quite a shiner you got there. What'd you do? Walk into a door, or something?"  
  
Steve scoffed humorlessly. "Two doors, actually. Two hulking doors with fists."  
  
"Yeesh!" the Old Man said with a shudder. "You're OK, though?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," Steve answered.  
  
"Good," The Old Man said. "That's all that matters." Steve smile slightly. Despite the Old Man's gaunt face and gravelly voice, he was clearly kind. "It's a good thing you've got your girlfriend there taking care of you," the Old Man suddenly added.  
  
Steve's whole face started burning. "Oh, n-no," he stammered. "She's not..."  
  
He stopped when (Y/N) came back with a cloth full of ice and slapped it on his eye before he could protest. Steve took over holding the ice against his eye as (Y/N) sat down across from him. The Old Man gave him a thumbs up and a wink before turning back to his own meal. *****  
  
"So tell me, Steve," she said. "What was the deal with those apes?" Steve looked at her through his one good eye, confused. "Did they pick a fight with you, or did you pick a fight with them?" she clarified.  
  
Steve shrugged sheepishly. "A little bit of both. Mostly the latter."  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, what started it?"  
  
"I found them harassing a couple of young ladies. They wouldn't leave them alone, so I decided to step in."  
  
"So, you got wailed on for being a gentleman."  
  
"I tried using words, but they didn't want to listen. So I tried using force instead."  
  
"Huh," she said, crossing her arms. "Well, at least it's nice to see that chivalry's not dead. Unfortunately neither is stupidity. Do you always pick fights with lugs that are double your size?" Steve looked at her for a moment before lowering his eyes, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to tell her the truth. "Hm," she hummed, casting an almost playfully scolding expression at him. "I thought as much. In that case, you're either the gutsiest little guy I ever met, or the dumbest. But I'm guessing it's a mixture of both."   
  
Steve once again didn't respond.  
  
"You could'a just walked away, you know," (Y/N) said.   
  
"I could have. But walking away isn't really my thing."  
  
"Yeah, I kinda figured that out."  
  
"You could have walked away too, you know," Steve added.  
  
"You're right, I could'a. But like you, I couldn't. Because there was another human being who needed me to step in."   
  
As they spoke, the lady at the counter, Mrs. Perkins, the wife of the diner's owner, watched them. She knew Steve, for this was not the first time he had come in here, asking for ice to nurse his wounds. Then she walked over to the phone and dialed the phone number that was given to her the last time such an event had happened. The phone rang until it was answered by the young man on the other end; Steve's long time friend since childhood, Bucky Barnes. She told him about Steve's arrival at the diner, the company he was with, and the condition he was in physically. The call lasted about two minutes.  
  
"I will, and you're welcome," Mrs. Perkins said as the call reached its end. She hung up the phone, then looked at Steve and (Y/N) as they continued to chat. She then got out from behind the counter and walked over to the table where they were seated. "Steve, I just called Bucky, and he's coming to pick you up in a few minutes," she informed him.  
  
"Alright, thanks," he replied. As she walked away, Steve slumped his head back with a sigh. He was in no way looking forward to hearing what Bucky was going to say when he learned about what happened.   
  
"Who's Bucky?" (Y/N) asked. "A pal of yours? Brother?"  
  
"Both," Steve replied. "Although we're not blood related. But he's like a brother to me. We've known each other since we were kids. We live together now."  
  
"After what you told me before, I take it he also acts as your babysitter sometimes, and tries to keep you out of trouble."  
  
Steve winced at the word 'babysitter.' "I wouldn't really call him that, but yes, something like that."  
  
(Y/N)'s ears turned pink slightly when she saw Steve wince, realizing that her words embarrassed him. So she tried bouncing off of that to a slightly different subject. "So, Steve, have you lived in Brooklyn your whole life?"  
  
"Yep, born and raised," Steve responded, his tone oozing an undercurrent of pride. "Bucky too. We met in Hell's Kitchen when we were kids, and we've stuck together like glue ever since." His eyes seemed to glow with fondness, talking about Bucky. (Y/N) noticed it and smiled at the sight.   
  
"You got any family here?" (Y/N) asked. "Parents? Sibling?"  
  
Steve's expression darkened. "No. I was an only child. And....both my parents are dead."  
  
"Oh," (Y/N) said, feeling ashamed for asking. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's all right," Steve solemnly. "It was years ago. I'm fine now." She cast him a sympathetic look, and he looked back at her, wanting to change the subject. "So what about you? Where are you from? I mean, I know you're from the South, because of your voice, but..." He realized he was babbling and stopped abruptly.  
  
(Y/N) smiled softly. "Virginia," she answered. "Born and raised as well. My family owns a farm near Amherst. A pig farm, if case you were curious." Steve snorted lightly at that, then lowered his eyes, embarrassed for laughing at her. "It's OK, you can laugh," she said with a smile, causing Steve to relax and smile as well. "Not the most glamorous thing, is it?"  
  
"So, is that why you came here to Brooklyn?"  
  
"Pretty much," she said with a click of the tongue. "As much as I loved life on the farm, I just didn't feel like I was reaching my full potential. So I came here to big city to pursue my dream."  
  
"Which is....?"  
  
She chuckled and shrugged. "Beats me. It could be anything. Artist, singer, actress, model, I really don't know yet. It's one of those "wherever the wind may take me" kind of things. For now, I live in an apartment in Midwood and work as a telephone operator to help me pay the bills, pay the rent, feed myself, and you know, live. I haven't even been here two weeks yet."  
  
They chatted for a few more minutes. Lively conversations about their lives, and what they thought about the city. When that topic reached its gradual end, Steve decided that now was the best time to ask the question that had been burning in his brain for while.   
  
"(Y/N), can I ask another question?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
"Before, back in the alley, you seemed surprised when you helped me up. What was that about?"  
  
(Y/N) tilted her head a bit in confusion before realization spread throughout her features. "Oh, that," she said, sheepishly pushing the loose strands of hair behind her ear. "It's nothing. Just something stupid."  
  
"If it's nothing, then there should be nothing wrong with you telling me."  
  
"Well, no, but..." She cut off, then let out a sigh. "OK, it wasn't nothing. It's just....I'm afraid to say it because I'm worried that it might offend you."  
  
"Don't worry, I don't think my dignity can get much lower than this."  
  
She looked at him, still unsure, before finally letting out a sigh. "Alright. When I saw those apes wailing on you, I, uh, kinda.....thought you were a 14 year old boy." She looked at him with an embarrassed expression, which only got more profound when she saw Steve shift when she got to the root of her explanation. "I'm really sorry."  
  
"Nah, it's OK. It happens a lot actually. Is that why you stepped in to help me?"  
  
"Yeah. I mean, I would have stepped in anyway. Unlike some folks..." she said, raising an eyebrow at Steve. "...I try to avoid fights as much as I can. But I just hate it when big folk pick on little folks, just because they can. It would have been bad enough if there was just one of them beating you, but there was two, and that's even worse. They're just bullies, that's all. I was a bit of runt myself growing up, and I had to deal with my fair share of bullies. Like you, I tried fighting them head on, but soon found that that didn't work, so I developed other ways of fending them off."   
  
"How did you do that?" Steve asked, his curiosity piqued by the last part.   
  
Before (Y/N) could answer, the door of the diner swung open.  
  
"Steve!?"  
  
"Oh no!" Steve muttered, slapping the towel and ice back onto his eye to try and hide the shiner when he heard the sound of his friend, Bucky, calling his name.   
  
Bucky stood in the door way, looking around. Steve was facing the door, and despite his best efforts to be as invisible as possible, it didn't take long for Bucky to spot him. As soon as he did, he practically ran over to them.  
  
"Steve," he said, this time in a tone that was far more scolding than before.  
  
Steve slowly stood up from the table. "Hey, Buck," he said quietly.  
  
"What the hell, Steve?" Bucky said. "You can't go one afternoon without getting into trouble, really? I don't know how much more of this I can take. Now, let's see the damage."  
  
"It's nothing, Buck."  
  
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't feel the need to hide it," Bucky replied. "Now, remove the ice."  
  
Steve opened his mouth as if to protest, but quickly shut it, his protests being replaced with a sigh of defeat. He slowly removed the ice from his eye, revealing the black and blue bruise encircling it.   
  
"Oh good God," Bucky muttered when he saw Steve's black eye. He inhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose, whispering something inaudible under his breath.  
  
"Really, Bucky, it's not that bad," Steve insisted. "It doesn't even hurt."  
  
"Well, then you should consider yourself damn lucky that it doesn't hurt, and that it wasn't worse than it was!" Bucky replied. Steve didn't respond to that. "I mean, what am I supposed to do, Steve? Chain you to chair to stop this from happening again and again? I've lost count of how many times I've had to scrape you off the ground. I'm serious, I'm gonna lose my damn mind if this keeps up!"  
  
"OK, Bucky, I get it!" Steve said, really wanting the lecture to end.  
  
"No, Steve, you don't get it!" Bucky replied. "Otherwise we wouldn't keep finding ourselves in this same situation! You know I'm not saying this to drag you down. I just don't want you to keep getting hurt. One of these days, those jerks are going to knock you down and you won't be able to get back up. It's a good thing it was just a black eye and a split lip this time."  
  
"He also took a pretty hard knock to the ribs as well," (Y/N) added suddenly. Bucky turned and looked at her, his confused expression changing to one of surprise, as if he just realized she was there. (Y/N) smirked at him finally noticing her. "Hey," she said, standing up. "You're Bucky, I take it."  
  
Bucky cocked an eyebrow, and then looked at Steve. "Bucky, this is (Y/N) (L/N)," Steve said.  
  
"Ma'am," Bucky said, shaking her hand.   
  
"Pleasure to meet you," she returned.   
  
"She's been looking out for me since the fight ended," Steve said.  
  
"Thanks for taking care of him, Miss," Bucky said.  
  
"No problem," she said. "And no need to call me Miss, or Ma'am. (Y/N) is fine."  
  
"You got it," Bucky said with a smile, before turning to Steve. "Now, do you mind telling me what happened?"  
  
Steve paused for a moment, then looked at (Y/N). She looked at him and tilted her head toward Bucky, telling him to answer his question. "Just the usual," Steve answered. "I got into a fight, got beat up pretty bad, and (Y/N) pulled me out of it. That's all."  
  
(Y/N) looked at him with a frown. "Um, Steve, aren't you forgetting a very important detail?" Steve looked at her with a confused frown. "You know," she said, leaning forward and whispering in his ear. "Double trouble."  
  
For a moment, Steve still looked at her with that confused expression before it finally dawned on him what she was referring to. "No, not that, please," he pleaded in a whisper.  
  
"What?" Bucky said. "What aren't you saying, Steve?"  
  
Steve looked at (Y/N) with a pleading expression, practically begging her with his eyes not to reveal the final detail. "Oh no," she said. "Don't look at me like that. Just because I like you, Steve, doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away without telling him the whole story. You better tell him right now, or else I will."   
  
Steve looked at her, stunned. He looked back at the expectant Bucky and opened his mouth, contemplating actually telling him the truth. But for some reason, nothing came out. He just couldn't.   
  
"No? Nothing?" (Y/N) asked. "All right then," she said, looking at Bucky. "There were two. He picked a fight with two men."  
  
"Two!?" Bucky said with a mixture of disbelief and anger. "Jeezus, Steve! It's bad enough when you pick a fight with just one, but two? Well if you're going be stupid enough to do that again, maybe next time we should let them flatten you into the pavement!"  
  
"Uh, for what it's worth, he did it for noble reasons," (Y/N) interjected quickly. Bucky looked at her, raising an inquiring eyebrow as she shared the reason behind Steve's confrontation with the two apes; his act of chivalry.   
  
"Well," Bucky said. "There's at least that. But that still doesn't change the fact that what you did was really idiotic and stupid."  
  
"Amen to that!" (Y/N) agreed. Steve looked at her in disbelief, as if she just betrayed him. She shrugged in response to his stare.    
  
"So what happened to them, the two guys?" Bucky asked. "Did they just beat you and leave you?"  
  
"Actually, we left  _them,"_ (Y/N) stated. "Bruised on the ground."  
  
"Really?" Bucky said, looking at Steve. "How did you accomplish that?"  
  
"I didn't," Steve said, pointing his thumb at (Y/N).  
  
Bucky looked at her with a frown. "You did?"  
  
"I did," she admitted.  
  
"She did," Steve stated matter-a-factly.  
  
Bucky stared at her, raising a questioning eyebrow as he gave her a once-over.  
  
"By yourself?" he asked.   
  
(Y/N)'s eyes rolled slightly. "Yes, by myself."   
  
Bucky looked back and forth between her and Steve, not sure whether he should take their words seriously. "I know it's hard to believe, Buck," Steve said. "But trust me. She did do it, by herself. Believe me, I know. I saw the aftermath of it."  
  
"OK..." Bucky said, still not sure.  
  
(Y/N) shook her head at his disbelief. "It's not as surprising as you may think. I grew up on a farm in Virginia. I had to wrestle  _pigs_ bigger than those two jerks. Not to mention two older brothers and an older sister who were also bigger than me."   
  
"Well, I guess that does explain a lot," Bucky said, seeming to finally begin to believe her and Steve's claims.  
  
"Yep," she said with a nod. "Not that it was hard to knock those two proud ignoramuses off their self-made pedestals. You just gotta know the right places to hit 'em."   
  
"That's something Steve hasn't quite learned how to do yet," Bucky said teasingly. Steve rolled his eyes at that statement.   
  
"Well, for what it's worth, he put up one hell of a fight," she said. "I walked in just in time to see some of it before those jerks knocked him down. By the way, who on Earth taught you how to fight?" she asked Steve.   
  
"That would be me," Bucky replied. "I've been giving him boxing lessons."  
  
"Yeah, well, they ain't working," she replied.  
  
Bucky's eyebrows raised. "Why not?"  
  
"No doubt you're good at what you do," she replied. "I ain't saying you're not. But look at him. He's smaller and shorter than you. Do you really think your style of fighting is going to work for him?"   
  
"Well..." Bucky began. "To be honest, I never really thought about it."  
  
"It's not usually something people think about," she replied. "Everyone thinks that one style works for everyone. Your style may work for you, but for someone his size, he needs to take a different approach. Like I have my entire life." She turned and looked at Steve. "You wanted to know how I learned to fend off the bullies in my life, so here it is. You and I are about the same height and size, yet I was able to take down both those apes by myself. Why do you think that is?"  
  
Steve shrugged. "Because you wrestled pigs on the farm in Virginia?"  
  
(Y/N) laughed. "Alright, that's part of it. But why else?" Steve shrugged again. "Because I didn't try too hard," she replied. "That's your problem. You're thinking too much like those gorillas. You try to tackle your opponent using sheer force, because you think that's the only way to do it. And I hate to point out the humiliatingly obvious, but your body's not built for force, Steve." Steve lowered his eyes at that. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth," she continued. "That's why little folks like you and me shouldn't use force, at least not like bigger folks do."  
  
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.   
  
"I'll show you," (Y/N) said. She looked at Bucky. "Do you mind helping me demonstrate?"  
  
"Oh, uh, no, I don't mind," Bucky said, a bit taken off guard at suddenly being addressed.  
  
"Thank you," (Y/N) said before turning to Steve. "Let's start with punching. You were probably too disoriented at the time to notice, but when I went up against those apes, I never once swung a punch at them, especially not at their faces. That's because when facing off against people bigger than you, punching their faces is not the best approach."  
  
She turned to Bucky, and brought her fist slowly up to Bucky's face in a pretend punch. "See," she said. "Because of the distance between us height-wise, it takes longer for my fist to hit his face, giving him more than enough time to dodge the blow."  
  
On that cue, Bucky dodged to the right.  
  
"Or, block my fist, allowing him to deliver his own blow," she added.  
  
On that cue, Bucky grabbed her wrist and brought his other fist down slowly to her side in a pretend punch.  
  
"Thank you," she said as he let go of her.  
  
"No problem," Bucky replied.  
  
She looked at Steve. "Not to mention that fact that the greater the distance, the more my arm has to stretch to reach him, which diminishes to impact of the blow. Now if I were to punch you..." she said, pretending to punch Steve. "...the blow would be harder since your face is closer to me. That's why it's best to try to avoid aiming for the face with bigger opponents."   
  
"Where else should I aim?" Steve asked.  
  
"Where do you think?" she replied. Steve shrugged. "You're short, Steve. Use it. Don't aim higher; aim lower." She suddenly turned and swung her fist toward Bucky's groin. She stopped before she made contact, of course, but that wasn't enough to prevent Bucky from reacting.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey now!" he shouted, jumping back with his arms raised in front of him, ready to block the blow that never came.  
  
(Y/N) laughed. "Sorry," she said to Bucky, who gave her a crooked half smile. She turned to Steve. "You see, that's the money shot. You can hit a man in the face over and over again, and he can still get back up. But once you hit him hard between the legs, that's it, he's down. Crippled for an hour, and sometimes not just physically. But I don't have to tell you two that; you're men, so you know what I'm talking about."   
  
Bucky and Steve both nodded simultaneously to that.   
  
"I learned that from growing up with two older brothers, who always liked putting me on the bottom of their dog piles," (Y/N) continued. "Gave them a hard knock between the legs a couple times, and they never bothered me again." She looked at Steve. "And another thing; your size can be an advantage as well. You're small so that means you're quicker. Dodge their punches, duck, twist around them, go between their legs, basically just avoid being hit. Chances are, you won't even have to swing your fists. Let them do all the swinging and wear themselves out, then when they least expect it, you strike, be it by hitting them between the legs, punching them in the gut, the knees, stepping on their toes, anything that is within your range. People may looked at your size and height and think of it as a weakness. But it is only a weakness if you believe it is. You don't have much to begin with, so you gotta take what you got and use it. And when you do, those big jerks will never see it coming."  
  
"You should be careful," Bucky said. "You might give him ideas. Besides, it might not be a good idea to encourage him."   
  
"Well, he needs some way to properly defend himself," (Y/N) replied. "And as I said, your technique ain't working. But for him, my technique is the most effective in obtaining minimal exertion to himself, and minimal bruising. So it won't win him any boxing prizes, but it should at least ensure that he doesn't get too banged up next time." She turned to Steve. "Of course, if he's smart, there won't  _be_ a next time, will there?"  
  
"No, ma'am," Steve said in the tone of an obedient schoolboy.  
  
(Y/N) cocked an eyebrow and gave him a disbelieving look. She looked at Bucky, who had the exact same look on his face, the two of them exchanging a smirk. "Yeah, I don't believe you for a second," she replied. She looked at Bucky. "You better make sure you keep a close eye on him."  
  
"Oh, believe me," Bucky replied. "I've been trying to for years!"  
  
"And the fact that you're still sane is impressive," she remarked, drawing a chuckle out of Bucky. Even Steve chuckled a bit. She looked at Steve. "You've got a lot of spirit and determination, and I greatly admire that, especially coming from a little guy like you. However, none of that means anything if you don't use what's between your ears." She emphasized that by lightly pressing the tip of her finger against Steve's forehead. "So please promise me that you'll be more careful."  
  
"I'll try," Steve said, this time with some sincerity. Bucky cocked an eyebrow again as he looked back and forth between them.  
  
"Good," (Y/N) said with a smile, before turning and looking at the clock on the wall. "Oh geez! I gotta get going! My shift starts in 10 minutes and the boss will have a fit if I'm late." She first shook Bucky's hand, then Steve's. "It was real nice meeting you both."  
  
"Likewise," Bucky said.  
  
"Yeah," Steve said. "Thanks for sticking up for me."  
  
She smiled. "No problem. Just take it easy for a while, OK?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll make sure of that," Bucky said.  
  
(Y/N) chuckled, then her expression changed to one gets when a light bulb turns on in their head. "Hey, I have an idea. Do you boys mind doing me a favor later?"  
  
"Sure!" Bucky said.  
  
"Just name it!" Steve added.  
  
"Well," she said. "As I told Steve before, I've only been in Brooklyn for a couple weeks, and I don't know very many people, and I haven't really got a chance to look around yet. So, how would you boys like to show me around the city sometime later? Give me a tour?"  
  
"We'd be happy to," Bucky said quickly. Steve stared at him, and Bucky gave him an encouraging nod.  
  
"Yes, we would," Steve finally added.  
  
"Great!" (Y/N) replied. "My apartment is number 1240 on East 7th St. in Midwood. Don't be strangers; come and stop by. Or you can just call me at the telephone station on the other side of town, and we can arrange it."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Bucky said.  
  
"Wonderful," she said. "I'll see you boys around. Bye."  
  
She turned and walked out the door. Bucky and Steve followed her out and stood by the door as she walked away down the sidewalk. After covering some distance, she turned and waved at them, which they returned, her eyes landing on Steve for a good long while, before she turned around and walked off out of sight.  
  
Bucky leaned against the side of the diner with his arms crossed, watching (Y/N) as she disappeared. "Well, she's nice," he said.  
  
"Yes, she is," Steve said.  
  
"And she's obviously tough enough to stand up for herself."  
  
"No doubt about that."  
  
"Not to mention she's pretty too," Bucky finished, his voice vibrating with a tone Steve knew all too well and was waiting for.  
  
"Bucky, don't!"   
  
"What?!" Bucky said, throwing his arms out. "I didn't say anything!"  
  
"Yeah, but you were thinking it."  
  
"C'mon, Steve, I know you think she's pretty, and she obviously likes you."  
  
"Buck, I did something stupid, and she was nice enough to help me. That's all there is to it."  
  
"Yes, she helped you, because she  _wanted_ to!"  
  
"She thought I was a teenage boy."  
  
"Yet even after she found out you weren't she still wanted to help you. Seriously, Steve, that's the longest conversation you've ever had with a girl. If she wasn't interested, she would have stopped talking to you."  
  
"She was being polite."  
  
"Steve, she just said she wants to see you again."  
  
"She wants to see  _us,_ Bucky."  
  
"Steve, she said she likes you."  
  
"As a friend."  
  
"Friendship's usually the start of something bigger. You really need to give yourself more credit."  
  
"I'm giving myself all the credit I deserve. Just face it, Buck. A girl like her would never fall for a guy like me. So just let it go already." He turned and started walking down the sidewalk.  
  
"Never say never, Steve!" Bucky called.  
  
"I SAID LET IT GO!"  
  
Bucky chuckled and shook his head at his friend, before turning his head looking toward the direction that (Y/N) had gone.  
  
"Never say never," he said softly to himself as he turned and followed Steve back to the apartment

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: 5/24/2019  
> Following the passing of Stan Lee, I realized that this story was missing a Stan Lee cameo, which is just wrong in so many ways. So I went back and added one in, which is encircled by asterisks. I have also decided that from now on, all my Marvel stories will have a Stan Lee cameo in them, to honor our ever-present Watcher. 
> 
> Rest in Peace, Mr. Lee. We all miss you. Excelsior!


End file.
